Packaging machine



1966- s. A. MENCACCI 3,

PACKAGING MACHINE Filed March 12, 1963 8 Sheets-Sheet l N m lfl INVENTORSAMUEL A. MENCAOCI ATTORNEY Feb. 22, 1966 s. A. MENCACCI 3,236,023

PACKAGING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 12, 1963 INVENTOR SAMUELAJJENCACCI BY g7 ATTORNEY Feb. 22, 1966 s. A. MENCACCI 3,236,023

PACKAGING MACHINE Filed March 12, 1963 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 I 'II3 :EI

INVENTOR m SAMUEL AJAENCAOOI ATTORNEY Feb. 22, 1966 s. A. MENCACCI3,236,023

PACKAGING MACHINE Filed March 12, 1963 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 F'IE q INVENTORSAMUEL A. MENCACOI BY W/W- ATTORNEY Feb. 22, 1966 s. A. MENCACCI3,236,023

PACKAGING MACHINE Filed March 12, 1963 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 E'IE'I EIINVENTOR SAMUEL A MENCACCI ATTORNEY Feb. 22, 1966 s. A. MENCACCI3,236,023

PACKAGING MACHINE Filed March 12, 1963 s Sheets-Sheet e INVENTOR SAMUELA. MENCACOI ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,236,023 PACKAGING MACHINESamuel A. Mencacci, St. Nicolas-Waas, Belgium, assignor to InternationalMachinery Corporation A., St. Nicolas-Waas, Belgium, a corporation ofBelgium Filed Mar. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 264,508 8 Claims. (Cl. 53-95) Thepresent invention pertains to packaging machinery and more particularlyrelates to a machine for evacuating air from a filled container andreplacing the air within the container with an inert gas beforehermetically sealing the container.

In order to maintain the quality of a product such as powdered milk orground coffee for a long period, the product must be hermetically sealedin containers from which all of the oxygen had been evacuated. A wellknown method of packaging this type of material has been to fillcontainers, such as cans or jars, with the product, loosely cap thecontainer with a cover, and pass the container with its loosely fittedcover thereon through a machine which first evacuates the air from thecontainer and thereafter replaces the air within the container with aninert gas such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide.

Heretofore, the machines for evacuating air from containers andreplacing the air with an inert gas have been cumbersome, expensive tomanufacture, and have not been adjustable for efficiently handlingcontainers of different sizes. Also, in many of these machines the losttime between the vacuumizing step, the gassing step, and the containersealing step has been excessive and has resulted in the re-entry of someair into the container before the container has been hermeticallysealed. Thus, this type of machine has not been favorably accepted inthe trade because of its high cost as well as the resulting oxidation ofthe product.

Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide amachine for evacuating air from a container, replacing the air with aninert gas, and thereafter immediately hermetically sealing thecontainer.

Another object is to provide an improved machine for evacuating air froma container and replacing the evacuated air with an inert gas.

Another object is to provide a machine for evacuating air fromcontainers and replacing the air with an inert gas, which machine isreadily adjustable to handle containers of different heights.

Another object is to provide an improved container enclosing receptacle,which receptacle is aranged to permit a minimum of re-entry of air intothe container prior to the closing operation.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following description and the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the packaging machine of the presentinvention,

FIGURE 2 is a plan of the packaging machine of FIG- URE 1 with certainparts being broken away and other parts being shown in section and inphantom.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section taken along the lines 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken along lines 44 of FIGURE2 showing the container confining housing with a container lifting tablebeing shown in solid lines in one operative position and in phantomlines in a second operative position.

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section taken along the same plane as FIGURE 4and showing the structure for moving the table between its two operativepositions.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged vertical section taken along 3,236,023 PatentedFeb. 22, 1966 lines 6-6 of FIGURE 2 showing movable housing covers intwo operative positions.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged central section taken along lines 7-7 of FIGURE8 through a manifold used on the machine of the present invention.

FIGURE 8 is a horizontal section taken along lines 88 of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a plan of a fragment of the machine adjacent the closinghead.

FIGURE 10 is a pneumatic diagram showing several pneumatic cylinders foroperating the different components of the machine and showing the camswhich control the operation of the pneumatic cylinders in timedrelation.

In general, the packaging machine 10 (FIGS. 1 and 2) of the presentinvention comprises an intermittently driven turret 11 having aplurality of equally spaced container receiving receptacles or housings12 thereon which, when sealed, provide vacuumizing and gassing chamberswithin which containers C are confined. Each housing 12 includes avertically reciprocable container supporting mechanism 13 which is movedfrom a position spaced below the body 14 of the housing 12 for receivingor discharging containers from the body, to a position in sealingengagement with the lower end of the body. Each container receivinghousing 12 also includes a vertically reciprocable disc-like cover 16which is movable between a lowered position closing the upper end of theassociated body 14 to an elevated position spaced above the upper end ofthe associated body. Each cover disc is associated with a particularhousing body 14 and is mounted on a chain 17 which is guided along apath that registers the cover with the associated body for a majorportion of the travel of the body 14 along its circular path, and whichthereafter guides the cover away from the circular path so as to openthe upper end of the body as the body is registered with a closing head19 of a closing machine 20 of any suitable standard design. The closinghead 19 may be of the type disclosed in the United States Letters PatentNo. 2,393,988 which issued to W. D. Jordan et al. on February 5, 1946.

Feed means (FIG. 2), such as a star wheel 21 and a suitable guide rail21a, are provided to feed filled containers C, with covers looselyfitted thereon, onto each container supporting mechanism 13 as themechanism is stopped at a feed station A. Each mechanism 13 is thenmoved upwardly against the lower end of the body 14 to seal the same.Substantially simultaneously with this upward movement of the mechanism13, the cover 16 is moved downwardly into sealing engagement against theupper surface of the associated body to confine the container within thevacuumizing and gassing chamber defined by the housing body 14, thecontainer support 13, and the cover 16.

The intermittent movement in a clockwise direction (FIG. 2) of theturret 11 then advances the containerreoeiving housings 12, with thefilled containers therein, past a low vacuum zone where the housings aresubjected to a low vacuum which partially evacuates the air from withinthe housings as well as from within the filled containers therein.Containued movement of the turret advances the housings past a highvacuum zone which more completely evacuates the air from the housing andfrom the head-spaces within the containers therein. With the air fullyevacuated from the housings and from within the head-spaces of thecontainers in the housings, the housings are advanced past a gassingzone where an inert gas is introduced into the housings and into thehead-space of the filled containers.

The covers 16 are then deflected from their closed positions in registrywith the upper ends of the bodies 14 to 3 open the chambers and thebodies are, in turn, moved to a closing station B in alignment with theclosing head 19 positioned thereabove.

The container in the body 14 at the closing station B is then elevatedthrough the upper open end of the body 14, permitting the closing head19 to hermetically seal the cover onto the container body. With thecover sealed onto the container, the container is then lowered to itsnormal position within the body 14 and, after another indexing movementof the turret 11, is lowered below the lower edge of the body 14 and issubsequently indexed at a discharge station D where any suitabledischarge means, such as a star wheel 22 (FIG. 2) and an associateddeflecting rail 23, discharges the sealed container from the packagingmachine 10.

It will be understood that the closing head 19, the feed means, and thedischarge means form no part of the present invention and may be of anysuitable type for performing the desired functions on the particulartype of containers being handled by the packaging machine of the presentinvention.

More particularly, the turret 11 (FIG. 3) as well as the closing machine20 are rigidly secured to a common base 31. The turret comprises a rigidvertically extending post 32 which is bolted to the base 31. A lowersupport flange 33 is rigidly secured to a reduced diameter portion ofthe post 32 near the base 31, and a similar support flange 34 is rigidlysecured to an oval-shaped portion of the post 32 at its upper end by apin 36 (FIG. 3.). The lower support flange 33 is bolted to an annularhub 37 of a stationary support table 38 which is also supported near itsperiphery by a plurality of pedestals 39 (only two being shown in FIGURE3) which are welded to the table 38 and are bolted to the base 31.

The support table 38 rigidly supports a pair of substantially annularcams 41 and 42 which are approximately the same diameter as the supporttable 38. The annular cam 41 has a horizontal upper camming surfacethroughout its entire length and serves to aid in maintaining certainrotary parts of the turret stable during their movement around the post32. The annular cam 42 includes a camming surface having a lower portion44 (FIG. 1) disposed between the discharge station D and the feedstation A permitting the container supporting mechanism 13 to be loweredduring this portion of their travel. An upwardly inclined portion 46 anda vertical portion 47 connect the lower portion 44 to an upperhorizontal portion 48 of considerable arcuate extent which maintains thecontainer supporting tables in the sealed position. The cams 41 and 42are supported from the support table 38 by means of brackets 51. Thecams may be adjusted vertically by a plurality of cap screws 52 (FIGS. 3and 5) which are subsequently locked in desired position by lock nuts 53when the cams are disposed in desired position. The cams 41 and 42 arerigidly connected together and to the bracket 51 by a plurality of capscrews 54 which extend through slots in the brackets 51 and are screwedinto the annular cams 41 and 42.

An upper, generally annular, cover supporting plate 56 (FIGS. 2 and 3)is welded to an annular hub 57 which is bolted to the upper supportflange 34 and has stiffening gussets 58 welded thereto and to the plate56. The cover supporting plate is stationary and has an arcuate cutout60 (FIG. 2) within which is fitted the closing head 19 of the closingmachine 20 at the closing station B.

As best shown in FIGURE 3, the rotatable parts of the turret 11 arekeyed to an elongated tubular shaft 62 which is concentric with anddisposed around the post 32. At its lower end, the shaft 62 is connectedto a flanged sleeve 63 which is journalled on a bushing 64 disposedbetween the sleeve and the post 32, and on a thrust bearing 66 disposedbetween the flanged sleeve 63 and the annular hub 37. A bearing 65 (FIG.7) is disposed between the upper end of the hub 37 and the shaft 62 to 4provide additional bearing support for the lower end of the shaft 62.

The upper end of the tubular shaft 62 is secured to a collar 67 whichhas a sleeve bushing 68 secured thereto and journalled on the post 32.The vertically elongated hub '71 of a drive sprocket 72 is slidablyreceived on the threaded upper external surface of the tubular shaft 62and is connected to the shaft by a flanged key 73. The flanged key issecured to the hub 71 by a cap screw 74 as clearly shown in FIGURE 3. Asplit ring spanner nut 76 is screwed onto the threaded upper portion ofthe tubular shaft 62 and bears against the lower surface of the hub 71to hold the drive sprocket 72 at a desired elevation. The spanner nut 76is locked in desired position by a cap screw 77 in the usual manner.

A sleeve bushing 78 is pressed into the annular hub 57 and cooperateswith a bearing ring 79 which is pinned to the drive sprocket 72 toprovide low frictional bearing surfaces between the rotating drivesprocket 72 and the stationary cover supporting plate 56 and hub 57.

It will be appreciated that vertical adjustment of the drive sprocket 72and the cover supporting plate 56 may be accomplished if it is desiredto process containers of different heights, by unbolting the hub 57 fromthe support flange 34 and by screwing the split-ring spanner nut 76 tothe desired position. A spacer will then be placed between the supportflange 34 and the annular hub 57 and will be bolted in position toprovide the rigid construction required of the cover supporting plate56. It will be noted that the cover supporting plate 56 is shown in itsuppermost position in FIGURE 3.

The previously mentioned tubular bodies 14 are $6 cured near the outerperiphery of an annular carrier plate 81 which is welded to a hub 82that is connected to the tubular shaft 62 by a key 83. The hub 82 isheld from axial movement relative to the shaft 62 by a snap ring 84 anda spacer 86 which bears against the hub 82 and against a second hub 87that is held from axial movement by a snap ring 88 fitted in a groove inthe shaft 62. The hub 87 is connected to the shaft 62 by a key 89 andhas an annular plate 91 welded thereto.

The aforementioned container supporting mechanisms 13 are carried by theplate 91 adjacent its periphery and are disposed in axial alignment withadjacent ones of the tubular bodies 14. Near its periphery but inwardlyof the container supporting mechanisms 13, the annular plate 91 carriesa plurality of downwardly projecting cam follower brackets 92 (FIG. 5)which have cam= followers 93 journalled therein. The cam followers 93"engage and roll along the upper horizontal surface of the annular cam 41to maintain the outer peripheral edge of the annular plate 91 stable.

The rotary portions of the turret 11 (FIG. 1) are driven by a motor 97which is mounted on a bracket 98 secured to the frame of the closingmachine 20. The motor continuously drives a sheave 99 which is connectedby V-belts 101 to a driven sheave 102 which is keyed to a shaft 103journalled in the frame of the closing machine 20. A bevel gear 106keyed to the shaft 103 meshes 'with a companion bevel gear 107 which iskeyed to the upper end of a vertically extending drive shaft 108 that issuitably journalled in in the frame of the closing machine 20. Thecontinuously driven shaft 188 has a gear 109 (FIG. 2) keyed intermediateits ends, which gear 109 engages a mating gear 111 that is keyed to astub shaft 112. The stub shaft 112 has a Geneva driver 113 keyed theretowhich driver 113 includes a drive roller 114 which meshes with the teethof the Geneva gear 116 and intermittently drives the gear 116 in theusual manner. The Geneva gear 116 is secured to a vertical shaft 117that is suitably journalled in theframe of the closing machine 20 andhas a large diameter drive gear 118 (FIGS. 1 and 2) keyed: thereto. Thedrive gear 118 meshes with a large diameter ring gear 119 which issecured to the. periphery of the: annula (Earlier plate 81. In this way,the movable portions of the turret 11 are intermittently indexed adistance equal to to the space between the centers of adjacent housings12 once for each revolution of the vertical shaft 108. The continuouslydriven vertical shaft 108 also has keyed to its lower end three cams121, 122 and 123 which control the actuaton of certain pneumaticcylinders soon to be described.

It will be understood that the components of the closing head 19 and thefeed means and discharge means are also driven from the motor 97 bydrive means not shown.

As mentioned previously, the container receiving housings 12 eachcomprises a tubular body 14 (FIG. 4), a container supporting mechanism13 for closing the lower end of the tubular body, and a cover disc 16for closing the upper end of the tubular body 14. Each tubular body 14is made in two sections 14a and 14b so as to adapt the containerreceiving housing for more effectively handling containers of differentheights. An O-ring seal 126 is disposed between the two sections 14a and14b which sections are connected together by cap screws 128. The lowersection 14a is apertured to receive a tube fitting 129 having a tube 131connected thereto for evacuating the housing and also for directing aninert gas into the housing after the evacuation steps have beencompleted. An O-ring seal 132 is fitted in a groove 133 in the lowerperipheral edge of the section 14a so as to provide an air tight sealagainst the can supporting mechanism 13 when the mechanism is moved toits uppermost position as shown in FIGURE 4.

As shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, the container supporting mechanism 13comprises an outer tubular shaft 136 having a shouldered pin 137 screwedon its lower end 'with a cam follower 138 journalled on the pin and heldfrom axial displacement therefrom by a snap ring 139. The cam follower138 rides along the upper periphery of the previously described cam 42.

The outer shaft 136 is slidably received within a bushing 141 which issecured to the annular plate 91 as by welding. The shaft 136 and bushing141 are provided with mating keyways for receiving a flanged key 142which is secured to the bushing 141 by a cap screw 143 and permitsvertical reciprocal movement of the shaft 136 but prevents rotationthereof relative to the bushing 141.

A container lifting shaft 146 is slidably received within the tubularshaft 136 and is held from rotation relative thereto by a key 147 whichis disposed within a keyway 148 formed in the lifting shaft 146 and amating keyway 149 formed in the internal surface of the tubular shaft136. The key 147 is secured to the tubular shaft 136 by a cap screw 151.It will be appreciated that the shaft 146 is shown in its lowermostposition in FIG- URE 5.

As shown in FIGURE 4, the upper end of the outer tubular shaft 136 isprovided with an enlarged section 153 which is provided with acounterbore 154 for the purpose of receiving a compression spring 156.The enlarged section 153 of the shaft 136 is slidably received within abore 157 provided in the lower surface of a sealing head 158 of thecontainer supporting mechanism 13. The spring 156 is disposed betweenthe lower wall of the aforementioned counterbore 154 and a downwardlyprojecting hub 159 of the mechanism 13 to thereby resiliently urge thesealing head 158 against the O-ring 132 projecting from the lowerpreipheral edge of the tubular body 14. In order to prevent leakage ofair between the tubular shaft 136 and the container lifting shaft 146,an O-ring 161 is disposed in a groove 162 in the hub 159 and slidablyengages the shaft 146.

The upper end of the container lifting shaft 146 is provided with anintermediate diameter portion 163 and a small diameter portion 164 whichis threaded to receive a nut 166. A lifting table 167 is fitted within alarge diameter counterbore 168 in the upper surface of the sealing head158 and has a hub 169 which is fitted on the intermediate portion 163 ofthe shaft 146 and is locked in place by the nut 166. After the nut istightened in place, a container supporting plate 171 of the liftingtable 167 is secured to the upper surface of the body of the liftingtable 167 by a flat head screw 172. An arcuate container centeringflange 173 projects upwardly from the supporting surface of the liftingtable 167 and is formed as an integral part of a bracket 174 which isbolted to the lifting table 167.

As mentioned previously, the upper end of each container must beelevated above the upper surface of the tubular body 14 so that theclosing head 19 (FIG. 1) can engage and properly seal the cover onto thebody of the container. For this purpose, a T-shaped slot 176 (FIG. 5) iscut through the lower end of the shafts 136 and 146 so as to receive amating T-shaped head 177 screwed on the upper end of the piston rod 178of a pneumatic cylinder 179. When the container receiving housing isbeing indexed into the closing station B, the T-shaped slot 176 movesinto engagement with the T- shaped head 177. It will be understood thatthe T-shaped head 177 is only Wide enough to engage that portion of theslot 176 which is in the shaft 146 when the housing is indexed atstation B.

After the housing has been indexed into the closing station B and theT-shaped projection 177 is received within the slot portion of theT-shaped slot 176 that is in the shaft 146 as shown in FIG. 5, thepneumatic cylinder 179 is actuated so that the piston moves upwardly.Accordingly, the shaft 146 and the lifting table 167 move upwardly toraise the container to a position wherein the cover is engaged by theclosing head 19 (FIG. 1) and is hermetically sealed to the body of thecontainer. After the cover has been sealed to the body of the container,the T-shaped head 177 (FIG. 5) on the piston rod 178 is effective inmoving the shaft downwardly to its original position as shown in FIG. 5.Upon the next intermittent movement of the turret, the shaft 146 ismoved away from the T-shaped head 177 and permits subsequent lowering ofthe container supporting mechanism 13 and the container supportedthereby.

An important feature of the present invention is the manner in which thecover discs 16 are cooperatively associated with the tubular bodies :14.As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the covers are evenly spaced along theendless chain 17 which is intermittently driven at the same speed as theturret 11.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an arcuate chain guide 181 is provided toguide the chain 17 along an arcuate path which will position the covers16 coincident with the circular path of movement of the tubular bodies14 for a major portion of their travel. An arcuate track 182 is weldedto the guide 181 and is slidably received between the upper and lowerlinks of the chain 17 thereby maintaining the chain in a horizontalplane as it moves around the arcuate guide 181.

The chain 17 is trained around a drive sprocket 184 which is journalledto a stub shaft 186 (FIG. 6) that is rigidly secured to and projectsdownwardly from the cover supporting plate 56. A thrust washer 187 islocked in place on the lower end of the shaft 186 by a snap ring 188 andbears against the hub of the sprocket 184 to prevent axial movementthereof. A take-up sprocket 189 (FIG. 2) is journalled on a stub shaft191 which is secured to a bracket 192 and is connected to the coverplate 56 by a cap screw 193. It will be noted that the sprocket 189 isso positioned as to cause the path of chain 17 to be deflected away fromthe closing head 19.

In order to intermittently drive the chain 17 at the same speed as theturret 11, a sprocket 194 (FIGS. 2 and 6) is connected to the drivesprocket 184 by a pin 196 and a cap screw 197. A chain 198 is trainedaround the sprockets 194 and 72 and is tightened by an idler 7 sprocket199 which is journalled on a bracket 201 that is connected to the coversupporting plate 56 by a cap screw 202.

The cover discs 16 which are supported by the chain 17 are all identicaltherefore the description of one will sufiice for all.

Each cover disc 16 is connected to an associated one of the links of thechain 17 by means of a downwardly extending shaft 204 (FIG. 6) which issecured as by welding to the associated link. The hub 206 of the disc 16is bored to slidably receive the shaft 204 and is provided with a slot205 for receiving an O-ring 208 which provides an air tight seal betwenthe hub 206 and the shaft 204. A keyway 209 is formed in the shaft 204and receives one end of a key 2111 which is held in place by a cap screw212 screwed into the hub 206 thereby preventing rotation of the disc 16relative to the shaft 204. A counterbore 213 in the disc 16 receives acompression spring 214 and a spring retainer 216, which retainer is heldfrom axial movement on the shaft 204 by a snap ring 217. Thus, thespring 214 normally urges the discs 16 upwardly away from the upperperipheral surface of the tubular body 14.

A pin 218 is screwed into the hub 206 of the disc 16 and has a camfollower 219 journalled thereon and held from axial displacement fromthe pin by a snap ring 220. The cam follower 219 rides along the lowersurface of an arcuate cam 222 (FIGS. 2 and 6) Which is secured to thelower surface of the cover supporting plate 56. The engagement of thecam follower 219 against the arcuate cam 222 overcomes the resiliency ofthe spring 214 thereby urging the cover 16 downwardly against the upperperipheral surface of the tubular body 14 and holds the cover in thisposition throughout the arcuate range of the cam 222 which begins at apoint adjacent the feed station A and terminates at a point adjacent thesprocket 184.

When the cover disc 16 is'held against the tubular body 14, an O-ring223, which is received in an annular slot 224 in the lower surface ofthe disc 16, provides an airtight seal between the disc and the tubularbody. An annular bead 226 is formed on the lower surface of the disc 16and includes a tapered outer edge which serves to align the cover disc16 With its associated tubular body in the event the cover isslightlymisaligned. It will be appreciated that the spring 214 will holdthe disc in spaced relation above the. tubular body, as indicated inFIG. 6, when the cam follower 219 is moved out of engagement with thearcuate cam 222 and remains in its uppermost position until it reaches apoint adjacent the [fed station A at which time the cam follower 219again engages. the cam 222.

As mentioned previously, after the filled containers have been sealedWithin the tubular bodies 14 by the associated sealing heads 158 of thecontainer supporting mechanisms 13 and cover discs 16, the turretadvances each housing 12 through al ow vacuum range, through a highvacuum range, and through a gassing zone. A manifold 231 (FIGS. 3, 7 and8) is provided to control the flow of air from the closed housings 12 asthe housings are moved through the vacuum zones, and to control theinflow of inert gas into the closed housings 12 as the housings movethrough the gassing zone.

The manifold 231 (FIG. 7) comprises a stationary ring 232 which isconnected by bolts 233 to a flange 234 welded on the upper end of theannular hub 37. A gasket 236 is secured to the upper surface of thestationary ring 232 as by cementing. A movable ring 237 registers withthe gasket 236 and is urged downwardly thereagainst by a plurality ofcompression springs 238. The compression springs 238 are seated in holes239 drilled in the upper surface of the movable ring 237 and are urgeddownwardly by set screws 24\1 screwed into an annular flange 242 whichis rigidly secured to the tubular shaft 62 as by a key 243 and setscrews (not shown). The

'rnovable rnig 237 is held from rotation relative to the annular flange242 by a key 244 which is connected by cap screw 246 to the flange 242and is received in a key- Way 247 in the movable ring 237. A pluralityof evenly spaced L-shaped ports 249, one port being provided for eachhousing 12, are connected to the associated housings by the previouslymentioned tubes 13i1 and by tube fittings 251.

As shown in FIG. 8, three arcuate slots 254, 255 and 256 are formed inthe upper surface of the stationary ring 232 and in the gasket 2 36 forcommunication with selected ones o'f'the L-shaped ports 249 as theyrotate therepast. The slot 254 extends through an arcuate rangeindicated by the letters LV and is connected to a low vacuum source ofapproximately 21 to 23 inches of nnercury by a low vacuum conduit 257.The slot 255 has an arcuate extent indicated by the letters HV and isconnected to a source of high vacuumat approximately 28" of mercury by aconduit 258. The slot 256 is of an .arcuate extent indicated by theletter G and is connected to a source of inert gas, such as carbondioxide, at appgcximately 14.2 pounds per square inch by a conduit 2Thus, after each container has been fed onto the associated containersupport mechanism 13 and has been sealed in the housing 12 by theassociated sealing head 158 and cover disc 16, the turret 11 is indexedcausing the housings 12 to communicate With thesour'ce of low vacuumthroughout the arcuate range indicated by the letters LV in FIG. 8thereby partially evacuating the housings and the head space of thecontainer therein. Thereafter each housing is subjected to a high vacuumthroughout the arcuate range indicated by the letters HV to removeadditional air from the housing and container. Further advancement ofthe housing causes the housing to communicate with the inert gas whilepassing through the range indicated by the letter G. In this way, theair which was originally in the filled but unsealed container isreplaced by an inert gas which, after the container is hermeticallysealed, remains in the container thereby preventing oxidation of theproduct.

In order to prevent re-entry of air into the containers after the coverdiscs 16 have been deflected away from the path of movement of thetubular bodies 14, a cover plate 266 (FIGS. 3 and 9) which includes anarcuate portion 266a and an annular portion 266b integral therewith, ispositioned closely adjacent the'upper open ends of the tubular bodies 14and below the cover disc 16 which, at this time, are in their elevatedposition. The cover plate 266 is adjustably secured to the coversupporting plate 56 and to the housing of the closing head 19 by anglebrackets 267, which project upwardly from the plate 266, and by bolts268.

In addition to the cover plate 266, a small amount of the inert gas isdirected into the closing head 19 to aid in-preventing re-entry of airinto the containers when the containers are at the closing station B. Asshown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a conduit 271 is connected between the inert gasconduit 259 and the closing head 19. A valve 272 is placed in theconduit 271 to provide means for controlling the amount of inert gasentering the closing head 19.

Since it is imperative that the turret 11 index each tubular body 14 inperfect alignment with the closing head 19 at the closing station B, apneumatic cylinder 274 (FIG. 1) is mounted on a bracket 276 secured tothe frame of the closing machine 20 at the closing station B and afterthe turret completes its indexing movement is activated to move the endof its piston rod 277 into a socket 278 formed in the bushing 141 (FIG.5) to thereby lock the associated tubular body 14 in axial alignmentwith the closing head 19. The piston rod 277 is withdrawn from thesocket 278 prior to the next indexing movement of the turret 11.

The container supporting mechanisms 13 (FIG. 1) are each raised in turnafter receiving a filled container from the star wheel 21 by a pneumaticcylinder 281 located at a lift station L and having an elongated head282 on its piston rod 283. The piston rod 283 and pusher head 282 aredisposed in their lowermost position as shown in FIG. 1 after the turret11 has indexed one of the container receiving housings 12 over thepusher head 282. Immediately after the start of an indexing movement ofthe turret 11, the pneumatic cylinder 281 is activated to raise thepusher head 282 which head engages the outer tubular shaft 136 of theassociated container supporting mechanism 13 and accordingly raises theassociated mechanism 13 to its uppermost position. The mechanism 13 isheld in this uppermost position for a time suificient to permit thetubular shaft 136 to slide over the pusher head until the associated camfollower 138 is disposed on the upper horizontal surface 48 of thearcuate cam 42. Thereafter, the piston rod 283 and pusher head 282 arereturned to their lowermost position prior to the beginning of the nextindexing movement of the turret 11.

After the containers have been vacuumized, gassed, and closed, thecontainer supporting mechanisms 13 are lowered from their uppermostposition at a pull-down station PD by a pneumatic cylinder 286 which hasan arcuate T-shaped head 287 formed on its piston rod 288. The pistonrod 288 and T-shaped head 287 are held in their uppermost positionduring the termination of each indexing movement of the turret 11 sothat the T-shaped head 287 will engage the T-shaped slot 176 formed inthe approaching shafts 136 and 146 as the turret 11 completes itsindexing movement and comes to rest in the indexed position. Immediatelyafter the completion of the indexing movement, the pneumatic cylinder286 is activated to lower the piston rod 288 and T-shaped head 287 withthe container supporting mechanism 13 connected thereto. In this way themechanism 13 is returned to its lowermost position.

Since the operation of the packaging machine of the present invention isclosely controlled by a pneumatic system 291 which is illustrated inFIG. 10, the operation of the machine 10 and the different parts of thepneumatic system 291 will be described together. In order to moreeffectively describe the system 291, each complete rotation of the shaft108 which corresponds to one indexing movement and dwell of the turret11, will be referred to as a cycle of operation. Each cycle beginsimmediately after the turret 11 has completed one of its indexingmovements. It will also be understood that during approximately thefirst 230 of rotation of the shaft 108, the turret 11 will remainstationary in its indexed position and, during the remaining 130 ofrotation of the shaft 108 the turret will be moving one indexed positionto another.

In operation, the motor 97 (FIG. 1) is first started and the filled andloosely covered containers are fed one at a time onto the containersupporting mechanisms 13 at the feed station A by the feed means. Sinceeach container is acted upon in the same manner, the description of theprogress of one container through the machine will sufiice for all.

Prior to the beginning of a cycle of operation, the container ispositioned on its supporting mechanism 13 which has been indexed to theleft station L above the pneumatic lift cylinder 281 (FIGS. 1 and 10).During this time high pressure air is directed through a main conduit292, through a branch conduit 293, into a valve 294, through an angledpassage 296 in the vertical movable core 297 of the valve, and through aconduit 298 to the lift cylinder 281 at a point above the piston 283athereby holding the pusher head 232 in its lowermost position as shownin FIG. 1. Air is evacuated from the lower portion of the cylinder 281through a conduit 299, through a straight passage 301 in the core 297 ofthe valve 294 and out of the valve through a port 302 which is open tothe atmosphere.

Immediately after the beginning of the cycle, the continuously rotatingcam 121 rotates to a position where a raised portion 303 of the camengages a cam follower 304 that is connected to the core 297 and shiftsthe core so that high pressure air is directed from the conduit 293,through an inclined passage 306 in the core 297, and through the conduit299 into the lift cylinder 281 below the piston 2830 thereby raising thepusher head 282 and can supporting table 13 to their uppermost position.As the piston 283a raises, air is bled from the upper end of thecylinder through the conduit 298, through a straight passage 307 in thecore 297 and through a port 309 to the atmosphere.

The raised portion 303 of the cam maintains the valve core in itsuppermost position until the indexing movement of the turret 11 (FIG. 1)has moved the associated container receiving housing 12 to a positionwherein the cam follower 138 is riding on the upper surface 48 of thecam 42. The cam 121 (FIG. 10) then advances until the small diameterportion 311 of the cam engages the cam follower 304 and permits a spring312 to shift the core 297 to its starting position thereby causing thelift cylinder 281 to return the pusher head 282 to its lower positionprior to the completion of the cycle of operation.

At the completion of the above described cycle of operation, thecontainer receiving housing 14 with a container therein is sealed fromthe atmosphere by the mechanism 13 and by the associated cover disc 16which is cammed downwardly by the arcuate c-am 222 (FIG. 2). Also atthis time, the sealed housing 12 communicates with the low vacuum zoneLV, as indicated in FIG. 8, by means of one of the conduits 131 whichconduit is connected thereto and to the arcuate slot 254. The housing 12remains in communication with the arcuate slot 254 during the next fourindexing movements of the turret 11 and complete cycles of operation ofthe shaft 108.

During the following indexing movement of the turret 11, the conduit 131moves away from the slot 254 and moves into engagement with the slot 255in the high vacuum zone HV. The housing 12 remains in communi cationwith the high vacuum for three cycles of operation. After evacuation iscompleted, the next intermittent movement of the turret 11 carries theconduit 131 associated with the housing 12 from a position in registrywith the arcuate slot 255 to a position in registry with the slot 256 inthe gassing zone G. An inert gas at ap' proximately 14.22 p.s.i. in thearcuate slot 256 then flows into the housing 12 and into the head spaceof the con tainer. This flow continues for the next three cycles ofoperation after which time the tube 131 moves out of registry with theslot 256. At this time the cover disc 16 moves away from the upper edgeof the tubular body 14 and the tubular body 14 is moved under the coverplate 266 (FIG. 9) to prevent air from entering the tubular body. Thenext indexing operation moves the tubular body 14 into alignment withthe closing head 19 at the closing station B.

As the housing 12 completes its indexing movement into closing stationB, the core 314 (FIG. 10) of an air valve 316 is positioned to hold thepiston rods 277 and 178 of the pneumatic cylinders 274 and 179,respectively, in their retracted position. During this time a camfollower 317 which is attached to the core 314 is resting on a smalldiameter portion 318 of the cam 122 as illustrated in FIG. 10. Highpressure air from the main conduit 292 flows into a branch conduit 321through an inclined passage 322 in the core of the valve 316 and throughconduits 323 and 324 which direct the high pressure air into the openend of the cylinders 274 and 179 thereby holding the pistons in theirretracted position. Air is evacuated from the lower ends of thecylinders 274 and 179 through branch conduits 326 which direct theexpelled air through a straight pass-age 327 in the core 314 for discharge from the air valve 316 through a port 328.

After the turret has indexed the container receiving housing 12 at theclosing station B, the continuously rotating cam 122 moves to a positionwherein a large diameter portion 331 of the cam contacts the camfollower 317 to shift the valve core 314 to a position wherein aninclined passage 332 establishes communication between the branchconduit 321 and the branch conduit 326 thereby causing the piston rods277 and 178 to move to their extended positions. Air is evacuated fromthe open ends of the cylinder-s 274 and 179 through the conduits 324 and323 which directs the expelled air through a straight passage 333 in thecore 314 for discharge through a port 334 to the atmosphere. Extensionof the piston rod 277 causes its free end to enter the socket 278 (FIG.thereby locking the housing 12 in the indexed position at the closingstation. Extension of the piston rod 178 raises the shaft 146 and itslifting table 167 (FIG. 4) to a position wherein the upper end and coverof the can is moved above the upper surface of the tubular body 14 intoposition to be sealed onto the body of the can by the closing head 19.

It will be understood that as the housing 12 is being indexed into theclosing station B, the T-shaped head 177 is held in a position whereinit will be received in the T- shaped slot 176 formed in the lower end ofthe shaft 146 and will remain in this position during the time that thecontainer receiving housing 12 is indexed atthe closing station B.

The piston rods 277 and 178 remain in their extended positions forapproximately 170 of rotation of the cam 122 which time is ample tocomplete the container closing operation;

Shortly before the turret begins its next indexing motion, the cam 122is rotated to a position wherein the cam follower 31-7 is urged downupon the low diameter portion 318 of the cam 122 by a spring 336. Thus,the piston rods 277 and 178 are returned to their starting positions andremain in these positions until the turret has completed its motion andindexes another container receiving housing 12 into the closing stationB.

As the turret 11 indexes the housing 12 from the closing station to thepull-down station PD (FIG. 1) the T- shaped slot 176 registers with theT-shaped head 287 of the pneumatic cylinder 286. During this time thepiston rod 288 is held in its uppermost position by air which isdirected into the lower portion of the cylinder 286 under control of anair valve 337 (FIG. At this time the core 338 of the air valve 337 isheld in its uppermost position by a large diameter portion 339 of thecam 123 which engages a cam follower 341, that is connected to the core338. At this time air flows from the main conduit 292, through a branchconduit 342, through an inclined passage 343 in the core 338 of thevalve 337 and through a conduit 344 which directs the air into the lowerportion of the cylinder 286. Air is expelled from the upper end of thecylinder 286 through a conduit 346, through a passage 347 in the core338 and to the atmosphere through a port 348 in the air valve 337.

After the indexing of the housing 12 to the pull-down station PD hasbeen completed, the continuously rotating cam 123 moves to a positionwhere the cam follower 341 moves onto the small diameter portion 349 andremains in this position for approximately 330 of travel of the cam 123.As the cam follower 341 moves onto the small diameter portion 349 of thecam 123, a spring 351 shifts the core 338 to a position wherein highpressure air from the branch conduit 342 is directed through an inclinedpassage 352 in the core 338, through the conduit 346 and into the upperend of the pneumatic cylinder 286 above the piston thereby moving thepiston rod 288 to its retracted position. Air below the piston isexpelled through the conduit 344, through a straight passage 353 in thecore 338 and to the atmosphere through a port 354. The piston rod 288remains in its lowermost position until the container receiving housing12 is indexed sufficiently to move the T-shaped slot 176 (FIG. 1) in theshafts 136 and 146 out of register with the T-shaped head 28-7 on thepiston rod 288. Before the indexing movement of the turret 11 has movedanother housing 12 into the pulldown station PD, the core 338 of thevalve 337 is again shifted to its original position by the largediameter portion 339 of the cam 123 thereby placing the T-shaped head287 (FIG. 1) in its uppermost position in alignment with the T-shapedslot of the next approaching housing 12.

With the container supporting mechanism 13 in its lower most position asabove described, the next indexing movement of the turret 11 advancesthe filled and sealed container to the discharge station D (FIG. 2),where the star wheel 22 of the discharge means will discharge thecontainer from the machine 10.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the packagingmachine of the present invention is of simple and inexpensiveconstruction, and is adapted to handle containers of different heights.The machine features a plurality of container receiving housingswhichare each formed of a tubular body movable along a hori- Zontal circularpath, a vertically reciprocab'le container supporting mechanism movablealong the same path and arranged to seal one end of said body, and avertically reciproca'ble cover disc which is movable along a path thatis coincident with the circular path for a major portion of its travelduring which time it closes the upper end of the body and thereafterdeviates from this path to fully open the upper end of the bodypermitting the container lifting table to elevate the container into theclosing head through the upper end thereof.

While one embodiment of the present invention has been shown anddescribed, it will be understood that various changes and modificationsmay be made therein without departing from the spirit of the inventionor the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the present invention, what is claimed as new anddesired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. In a container vacuumizing and gassing machine, an open top bodydefining a treating chamber, means for positioning a container in saidbody, conveyor means for moving said body along a predetermined path, acover for closing the open top of said body, means for positioning saidcover on said body and holding it thereon during a major part of themovement of the body along said path, means for removing air from theinterior of said body and replacing it with an inert gas while saidcover is in position on said body, means defining a container closingzone at the end of said path, and means for removing said cover fromsaid body shortly before said body reaches said container closing Zone.

2. In a packaging machine having a closing head, the combination of aturret, an open-ended cylindrical body on said turret, a containersupporting mechanism mounted on said turret and movable between acontainer receiving and discharging position spaced from one end of saidbody to a position supporting the container within said body andhermetically sealing said one end of said body, a cover independent ofsaid container supporting mechanism movable between a position closingthe other end of said body and a position spaced from said other end,means for intermittently driving said turret for moving said body andsaid mechanism in a circular path, means for mounting said cover formovement along a path which corresponds to said circular path for amajor portion of its travel and which deviates from said path adjacentthe closing head, and means for urging said cover against said other endof said body to seal the same while the cover moves along said majorportion of its travel.

3. In a packaging machine having a container closing head and beingadapted for vacuumizing, gassing and closing filled containers havingcovers loosely applied thereto, the combination of an open-ended tubularbody, means for supporting a container in said body and for closing andhermetically sealing one end of Said body,

'13 means for intermittently moving said body and said supporting meansalong a circular path and for indexing said body to a station below theclosing head, a cover associated with said body, means forintermittently moving said cover along a second path with the majorportion of said second path being coincident with said circular path andwith a minor portion of said second path being curved away from saidcircular path and away from the station below the closing head, meansfor moving said cover into sealing engagement with said other end ofsaid body when said cover is moving along said circular portion of saidsecond path, and means communicating with said body when said ends aresealed to first vacuumize said body and the head space of the containertherein and to thereafter direct an inert gas into. said body and headspace prior to the indexing of said body under the closing head.

4. In a packaging machine having a container closing head and adaptedfor vacuumizing, gassing and closing filled containers having coversloosely applied thereto, the combination of an open ended tubular body,means for supporting a container in said body and for closing andhermetically sealing one end of said body, means for intermittentlymoving said body and said supporting means along a circular path and forindexing said body to a station below said closing head, a coverassociated with said body, an endless chain for supporting said cover,means for supporting and intermittently driving said endless chain alonga second path with a major portion of said second path being coincidentwith said circular path and with a minor portion of said second pathbeing curved away from said circular path and away from said closinghead, means for moving said cover into sealing engagement with saidother end of said body when said cover is moving along said circularportion of said second path, and means communicating with said body whensaid ends are sealed to first vacuumize said body and the head space ofthe container therein and to thereafter direct an inert gas into saidbody and head space prior to the indexing of said body to the stationbelow the closing head.

5. In a packaging machine having a container closing head and adaptedfor vacuumizing, gassing and closing filled containers having coversloosely applied thereto, the combination of an open-ended tubular body,means for supporting a container in said body and for closing andhermetically sealing one end of said body, means for intermittentlymoving said body and said supporting means along a circular path and forindexing said body to a station below said closing head, a coverassociated with said body, an endless chain disposed above said body andabove said cover, means resiliently connecting said cover to said chainand normally urging said cover away from said body, a cam follower onsaid connecting means, means for supporting and intermittently drivingsaid endless chain along a second path with the major portion of saidsecond path being coincident with said circular path and with a minorportion of said second path being curved away from said circular pathand away from said closing head, an arcuate cam disposed in position tobe engaged by said cam follower when said cover is being moved alongsaid major portion of said second path to force said cover into sealingengagement against the other end of said body, and means communicatingwith said body when said ends are sealed to first vacuumize said bodyand the head space in the container therein and to thereafter direct aninert gas into said body and head space prior to the indexing of saidbody under the closing head.

6. In a packaging machine having a container closing head and beingadapted for vacuumizing, gassing and closing filled containers havingcovers loosely applied thereto, the combination of an open-ended tubularbody, means for supporting a container in said body and for closing andhermetically sealing one end of said body, means for intermittentlymoving said body and said supporting means along a circular path and forindexing said body to a station below said closing head, a coverassociated with said body, an endless chain disposed above said body andsaid cover, means resiliently connecting said cover to said chain tonormally urge said cover away from said body, a cam follower on saidconnecting means, means for supporting and intermittently driving saidendless chain along a second path with the major portion of said secondpath being coincident with said circular path and with a minor portionof said second path being curved away from said circular path and awayfrom said closing head, an arcuate cam disposed in position to beengaged by said cam follower when said cover is being moved along saidmajor portion of said second path to force said cover into sealingengagement against the other end of said body, means communicating withsaid body when said ends are sealed to first vacuumize said body and thehead space of the container therein and to thereafter direct an inertgas into said body and head space prior to the indexing of said body tothe station under the closing head, and a cover plate disposedimmediately above said other end of said container and between saidclosing head and the downstream end of said cam to minimize escape ofsaid inert gas from said tubular body after said cover has been removedfrom the body and before the body is positioned under the closing head.

7. In a packaging machine having a closing head, the combination of anopen-ended tubular body, container supporting means mounted for movementbetween a position spaced from one end of said tubular body to aposition sealing said one end with a container thereon disposed withinsaid body, means for moving said body and said container supportingmeans along a circular path to a station immediately adjacent to andbelow the closing head, a cover disc movable between a position spacedfrom the other end of said body to a position sealing said other end,movable support means for carrying said cover along a path coincidentwith said circular path for a major portion of its travel and fordeflecting said cover away from said circular path and from said closinghead for a minor portion of its travel, means for moving said cover intosealing engagement with said other end of said body when said cover ismoving along said circular portion of its path, means communicating withsaid body when said ends are sealed to first vacuumize said body and thehead space of the container therein and to thereafter direct an inertgas into said body and head space prior to movement past the closinghead, and means included in said container supporting means for movingthe container cover through said other end of said body into the closinghead for hermetically sealing the container cover onto the container.

8. In a packaging machine having a closing head, the combination of aturret, means for intermittently driving said turret, a tubular body onsaid turret and being indexed by said turret under said closing head,container supporting means mounted for vertical movement between aposition spaced from one end of said tubular body to a position sealingsaid one end with the container thereon disposed within said body, a camfollower connected to said container supporting means, an annular camconcentric with said turret and having a low arcuate camming surface forholding said container support means in its lower position and a raisedarcuate camming surface for engaging said cam follower and holding saidcontainer supporting means in its upper position to seal said one endwhen said body is indexed under the closing head, a first pneumaticcylinder disposed adjacent one edge of said raised camming surface andhaving a piston rod for raising said container supporting means from itsspaced position to its sealed position whereby subsequent indexingmovement of said turret moves said cam follower onto said raised cammingsurface, a container lifting table included in said container supportingmeans and movable between a position confining the container within saidtubular body and a position wherein the upper 15 end of the container isdisposed on said body, a shaft connected to said table and projectingdownwardly there from, said shaft having a T-shaped slot in its lowerend,

a second pneumatic cylinder disposed below said closing head and havinga second piston rod, a T-shaped head on said second piston rod anddisposed in position to be received in said T-shaped slot as said shaftis indexed under said closing head, means for activating said secondpneumatic cylinder to first raise said table and the container so as topresent the container cover to said closing head for hermeticallysealing the same to the body and thereafter to lower the table to itscontainer-confining position, and a third pneumatic cylinderdisposed'adjacent the other edge of said raised camming surface andhaving a third piston rod, a T-shaped head on said third piston 15 roddisposed in position to be received in said T-shaped slot as said camfollower is moved 01f said raised camming surface upon a subsequentindexing movement of said turret, and means for activating said thirdpneumatic cylinder after said last mentioned indexing movement iscompleted to lower said container supporting means to its spacedposition.

References Cited'by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS TRAVIS s. MCGHEE,Primary Examiner.

1. IN A CONTAINER VACUUMIZING AND GASSING MACHINE, AN OPEN TOP BODYDEFINING A TREATING CHAMBER, MEANS FOR POSITIONING A CONTAINER IN SAIDBODY, CONVEYOR MEANS FOR MOVING SAID BODY ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH, ACOVER FOR CLOSING THE OPEN TOP OF SAID BODY, MEANS FOR POSITIONING SAIDCOVER ON SAID BODY AND HOLDING IT THEREON DURING A MAJOR PART OF THEMOVEMENT OF THE BODY ALONG SAID PATH, MEANS FOR REMOVING AIR FROM THEINTERIOR OF SAID BODY AND REPLACING IT WITH AN INERT GAS WHILE SAIDCOVER IS IN POSITION ON SAID BODY, MEANS DEFINING A CONTAINER CLOS-